Dr Stuart Lange – National Director, New Zealand Christian Network
The Prime Minister of New Zealand has recently expressed the laudable view that we need a world which celebrates the diversity of its citizens and migrants. Absolutely so. People of all sorts of beliefs and worldviews want a society which is compassionate, respectful, just and free. We are right to resist any erosion of those values, and to consider very carefully what laws and behaviour best protects them.
The Christchurch events have raised concerns over on-line “hate speech”, which among other things helped incite appalling racist violence. The Folau controversy in Australia has opened up other important issues, in New Zealand as well, around freedoms of belief and expression, and whether people should lose their job for expressing (even when they are not at work) beliefs which some find offensive. At the same time, there is currently discussion in Government circles about legislation to prohibit “hate speech”. It is unclear yet what legislative changes may be proposed.
Protection of “minorities”
It is right that society welcome, respect and protect minorities. That is an expression of a just and humane society. It is unhelpful, though, to give any groups more rights than any other groups. All people should be treated equally, with the same rights and restraints.
The laws of this land need to be neutral, equally respecting the rights of belief and expression for people of all faiths, and of none.
In a changing society, it is increasingly problematical to assume which group is a majority, and which group is a minority, and what may happen later. Muslims and Buddhists, for instance, are both currently minorities. Christianity is often assumed to be the “majority” religion. But recent censuses have put Christian adherence at less than 50%. So are Christians now a minority too? The “secular” view is assumed by many to be the only view which should prevail. But is it a majority or a minority? The laws of this land need to be neutral, equally respecting the rights of belief and expression for people of all faiths, and of none.
Prejudice and “hate”
Discussion around possible legislative change often includes rhetoric about “hate”. Nobody doubts that true “hate” is destructive, both for those who are hated and those who hate. In terms of public policy and law, however, the word “hate” is not a useful word. It is too broad in meaning to be of any use. Human beings can say they “hate it” when something very trivial happens, or that they “hate” instant coffee. They can hate evil and injustice. They can harbour in their hearts prejudice or hate against other ethnicities and cultures. Occasionally, human beings can hate others with such vicious, demonic hatred that they actually want to hurt or kill people (as with murderers, terrorists, and genocidal despots such as Hitler). The last of those categories of hate – that which incites or commits violence – is clearly abhorrent and evil, and should always be unlawful.
Mild prejudice is not hate. All human beings have at least a little prejudice in them, influencing our views on politics, religion, sports, and many other things. Deep prejudice, however, can be associated with real hate. Racist hatred is especially repugnant, and needs to be actively discouraged. It is irrational, unjust, and cruel. But even the expression of racist views should be unlawful only when it is deliberately seeking to foster contempt and/or to incite racial violence.
Strongly prejudiced opinions can be irritating and offensive. We hear and read them every day, on public and social media. But the risk of being offended is the unavoidable price of freedom of belief and freedom of expression. It would be nice if many people were to tone down their opinions, especially those we disagree with. But there needs to be a high threshold before expressed opinions are deemed either “hateful” or unlawful. Society must strenuously protect freedom of belief and expression. Our liberty, our life, our society depend on those freedoms, and when they are curtailed we are letting go far too much.
Society must strenuously protect freedom of belief and expression. Our liberty, our life, our society depend on those freedoms, and when they are curtailed we are letting go far too much.
Politicised language
The word “hate” has become unhelpfully politicised. For instance, in many circles the meaning of “hate” appears to have become extended to include the expression of views that do not align with those of a particular community. Clearly, society must defend the right of that community to express and promote their beliefs. Equally, though, society must defend the right of other people to hold and express contrary views, including those beliefs some disagree with or find offensive, such as the belief (which is very widely held, and not just by Christians) that God intended marriage as the union of a man and woman.
To speak against beliefs we disagree with is everyone’s democratic right, and – unless we want tyranny – that right to freedom of belief and expression must cut both ways. To label as “hate speech” those views we disagree with, and to denigrate those who hold them, looks like vilification. To push for someone to lose their job for expressing their religious beliefs, as has happened with Folau, is a very disturbing encroachment on freedom of belief and expression.
A level playing field
In our multi-cultural, multi-faith society, most Christians do not want or require special privileges for themselves. All they really need is what everyone else needs: a society where there are equal freedoms of belief and expression, and freedom from discrimination, for people of all faiths, and for people of no faith. A society where any person, whether religious or secular, is free to believe and express and live by the tenets of their faith, without fear of censure, or of losing their job, or of public vilification. A society where believing in your creed (Christian, Muslim, or whatever) or publicly quoting your holy book will not lead to getting into trouble with the law, your educational provider, your employer, your professional body, or being censured by the media. A society where everyone remains perfectly free to promote both secular views and religious views, without discrimination. A society where anyone may express and advocate any belief about culture, religion, morality, or marriage, without any fear of being labelled as “unsafe”, just because someone might be offended. What do we need to ensure a free society? Freedom of belief and expression for all: a level playing field.
What do we need to ensure a free society?
Freedom of belief and expression for all: a level playing field.
Respect and restraint
Regardless of the laws around public discourse, and how they might be shaped, both secular people and people of faith do well to speak and act with goodwill and respect for all others, out of a sense of common humanity, and a desire to preserve the peace of our free and diverse society. We should speak the truth as we see it, but do so with kindness and respect. Being deliberately offensive has never been good behaviour. Christians, who believe that Jesus is the perfect revelation and embodiment of God, have a superb example to follow: he spoke enduring truth, with infinite grace and compassion.
Dr Stuart Lange National Director, New Zealand Christian Network
Pentecost is a good moment to take a reality check concerning any lurking idolatry of nationalism in our hearts.
The events described by Luke in the opening chapters of The Acts of the Apostles remind us that the end goal of God’s purposes in human history is the ingathering of a multi-ethnic global church: ‘from every tribe, language, people and nation’, as John writes in his Revelation (5:9).
The outpouring of the Spirit birthed this ‘rainbow’ church when Jews and converts, including Cretans and Arabs, from ‘every nation under heaven’, heard the disciples praising God in the languages of their lands of residence. So Peter stood up to explain that what everyone was witnessing was what the prophet Joel had foretold would happen in ‘the last days’.
Clearly we have been in the last days therefore ever since Pentecost. Also clearly, this was only the start of the fulfilment of this prophecy. The Spirit is yet to be poured out on all flesh. There is still much more to come–something that should excite us.
It should also caution us against the sort of religious nationalism being preached from political platforms on both sides of the Atlantic these days. We live somewhere between Acts chapter 2 and Revelation chapter 5, as part of the process of a church becoming increasingly multi-cultural. The New Jerusalem will be multi-racial and multi-lingual, all focused on the One who will reconcile all things under heaven and on earth.
Inclusive
Yet too often we see believers making the same mistake for which Israel was rebuked by the prophets and by Jesus himself: ethno-centrism. Instead of embracing God’s purposes for all peoples, Israel focused too often on being the Chosen. Too often they adopted an ‘Israel first’ policy. But they forgot what they had been chosen for: to bless all the peoples of the world, and be a light to the peoples.
Here is a sober warning for those tempted to embrace a religious nationalism ‘to preserve our Christian heritage’. The gospel is inclusive, intended for all peoples. It is not the exclusive right of westerners. We are better people when we commit to the welfare of others, that is to ‘loving our neighbours’. We are better nations when we promote the common good of the community of nations, not an ethnic nationalism which places one nation over others as a political goal.
As Christians, we strive to follow the exclusive claims of the gospel. Yet those of us living in countries shaped by Christianity–Orthodox, Catholic or Protestant–often assume that the marriage of faith and nationalism is good and biblical. For ‘Christian nationalism’ has roots back in the Constantinian conversion of Rome to Christianity, or even further to the Old Testament covenant between God and Israel. At different stages of history, Christians have claimed a ‘divine instrument’, ‘manifest destiny’, or ‘light to the nations’ calling–from Constantine’s Roman Empire through to Charlemagne’s Holy Roman Empire, Holy Orthodox Russia, Britain versus Spain, Afrikaners in South Africa and the United States.
Catholics are generally less vulnerable than Protestants to the temptations of a ‘God and country’ mentality, being conscious of belonging to a ‘catholic’ (meaning ‘universal’) Church, rather than identifying with one particular nation like the Church of England or the Dutch Reformed Church. And yet today in Catholic nations like Hungary, Poland and Italy, religious nationalism threatens to further undermine the foundations of free and open society in the name of ‘preserving our Christian heritage’.
Chaplain
Eastern Orthodox Churches however tend to closely identify with their ethnic nationalities: Greek Orthodox, Serbian Orthodox, Russian Orthodox, Romanian Orthodox, Bulgarian Orthodox, Ukrainian Orthodox, and so on. Church-state relations in the Orthodox world have
always be based on the concept of symphonia or harmony, which often meant the church became the chaplain rather than prophet to the state.
Too often we assume nations have always been around and are the God-designed unit of human community. We quote Acts 17:26 about God having ‘made from one man every nation of mankind to live on the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their lands.’ But nation-states as we see them on our world map today are recent developments, as opposed to ethne (peoples), the word used in Acts 17. The French Revolution set off a wave of nationalism across Europe sparking revolutions which still continue to affect this continent. The twentieth century has been described as ‘a century of nations and nationalism’, a ‘bloody religion whose victims dwarf in number the casualties of the crusades’, ‘a reaction against historic Christianity, against the universal mission of Christ’.
Pentecost emboldened the disciples to declare to the authorities: ‘We must obey God rather than men’ (Acts 5:29). May the Spirit embolden us also to stand for truth, love and justice, and for God’s purposes for all peoples.
Jeff Fountain is director of the Schuman Centre for European Studies, affiliated with the University of the Nations. Originally from New Zealand, Jeff has lived in Europe for 38 years and carries a Dutch passport. He was director of Youth With A Mission Europe for 20 years and chairs the Hope For Europe Round Table. Jeff writes an email column called Weekly Word and has written several books including Living as People of Hope and Deeply Rooted.
As WEA member alliances seek to strengthen religious freedom in their respective countries, U.N. mechanisms and bodies are proving to be an important medium to amplify their respective voices, and their impact. Below you will find an overview of some of our appeals and activities at the Human Rights Council (HRC) in Geneva in recent months.
In March, in a statement read before more than one hundred international diplomats gathered at the HRC, we called on the government of SRI LANKA to revoke the 2008 Circular related to the construction of places of worship that curtailed the rights of religious minorities and subjected them to harassment. (Written statement submitted together with the National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka; Oral statement together with Christian Solidarity Worldwide; video).
We called on both INDIA and PAKISTAN to repeal anti-conversion and anti-blasphemy legislation respectively, to hold their law enforcement officials accountable when they fail to protect religious minorities, and to counter the stigmatization and hate against religious minorities. (Written statement submitted together with the Evangelical Fellowship of India; oral statement; video)
Together with L’Eglise Protestante d’Algérie, we called on the authorities of ALGERIA to re-open all churches closed since November 2017. (Written statement in French)
We urged the government of MALAYSIA to ensure the wellbeing and safety of all religious workers and the freedom to carry out their duties without intimidation or threat, and we called on Prime Minister Dr. Mahathir Mohamad to order new police investigations into the abduction of Pastor Koh and the disappearances of three religious activists. (Oral statement; video)
On April 3, Malaysia’s Human Rights Commission issued a report that, for the first time, accused State agents of the abduction of Pastor Koh in 2017. The National Evangelical Christian Fellowship of Malaysia issued a statement calling for the immediate investigation of all parties involved in the disappearances.
We appealed to the government of IRAQ to officially recognize the evangelical churches and grant them legal status. (Report)
We called on VIET NAM to review the 2016 Law on Belief and Religion, to protect the right of ethnic minorities to change religion, and to stop harassment, oppression and violence against Hmong Christians and other minority religious groups. (Report)
We reiterated that peace in the CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC cannot take place without accountability for war crimes and justice. (Oral statement in French)
During a debate at the HRC on the mitigation and countering of risingnationalist populism, we affirmed that Christianity means loving our neighbors and welcoming the stranger, and we expressed concern that so-called Christian values have been leveraged to foster hatred and discrimination against those adhering to other religions, or from other nationalities and regions of the world. (Video)
During the same period, we met with diplomatic missions, U.N. representatives and other stakeholders, to convey more widely the messages and requests of our member alliances.
In a press release earlier today, the Evangelical Alliance of the United Kingdom (EAUK) highlighted a brief video interview with the pastor of Zion Church, which was one of the targets of the Easter Sunday bombings. The World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) would like to give greater exposure to the moving testimony of Pastor Roshan Mahesen and invites Christians to continue to pray for their brothers and sisters in Sri Lanka.
Bp Efraim Tendero, WEA Secretary General and CEO, expressed his solidarity with the Christians in Sri Lanka in a statement after the attacks, saying: “We are deeply saddened and troubled by the news of the targeted attacks on worshippers and other innocent people on Easter Sunday. As we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord, Jesus Christ, we now also mourn the loss of lives due to this heartless violence. We call on churches around the world to join us in prayer for those affected, and that God’s strong and comforting presence may be with them in this tragedy. May God help them to hold onto the faith of the resurrection and experience the peace that transcends all understanding.
EAUK Press Release
The leader of the evangelical church bombed in Batticaloa, Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday has spoken out, offering forgiveness to the attackers, and thanks to all who have offered prayer and support. Pastor Roshan Mahesen also spoke of his commitment to continue the church’s mission.
Speaking in London this week Pastor Roshan said: “We are hurt. We are angry also, but still, as the senior pastor of Zion Church Batticaloa, the whole congregation and every family affected, we say to the suicide bomber, and also to the group that sent the suicide bomber, that we love you and we forgive you, no matter what you have done to us, we love you, because we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.
“Jesus Christ on the Cross, he said father forgive them for they do not know what they are doing. We also, who follow the footsteps of Jesus Christ, we say, for the Lord forgive these people.”
In the video shared by Sri Lankan Christian ministry ‘The Life’, Pastor Roshan went on to say: “I want to take this opportunity to thank every church around the world, every believer, every person known to me and unknown to me who has contacted me, calling me, sending messages of condolences, and then words of encouragement.
“I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart, every word you speak brings such comfort and strength. We will stand and continue what the lord has purposed in our life and we are ready, and we will continue to fulfil the mission the Lord has given us.”
Pastor Chrishanthy Sathiyaraj, leader of a Sri Lankan church which brings together Tamil and Sinhalese Christians and founder of ‘The Life’ ministry, interviewed Pastor Roshan earlier this week while he was visiting the UK.
Pastor Chrishanthy is part of the Evangelical Alliance UK’s council and commented: “These atrocious attacks have shocked the world, the violence has impacted my friends and family and many in the Sri Lankan community in the UK know people who have died.
“If only we can hear Pastor Roshan’s words and respond with forgiveness instead of hate. Jesus Christ calls us to love even those who persecute us, and what is more powerful than to choose to love in circumstances such as these. Let’s forgive, stand together and build the kingdom of God. Don’t give up.”
Steve Clifford, general director of the Evangelical Alliance UK, joined a prayer gathering earlier this week following the attacks as Sri Lankan leaders prayed together. Responding to the video Steve Clifford said: “I am mourning with my Sri Lankan brothers and sisters in Christ as they bury loved ones, as church communities are shaken by the violence inflicted on them and as others live in fear that the same might strike them.
“Pastor Roshan offers love and forgiveness that can only come from knowing that we are forgiven by Jesus. I will continue to pray for him and all the believers in Sri Lanka, that they will know hope in Jesus that overcomes all fear.
A cargo vessel whose home port has been Tauranga for the past nine years will now be recommissioned as a medical aid ship and travel to some of the remotest islands in the Pacific thanks to one couple’s generous donation.
The 48m-long ship formerly known as Claymore II used to carry supplies to Pitcairn Island four times a year. But when that contract with the British Government ran out recently, owners Nigel and Brenda Jolly from Stoney Creek Shipping Company Ltd decided to gift the ship to Christian humanitarian organisation YWAM Ships Aotearoa (Youth With A Mission) rather than sell it.
“I bought that boat specifically to do that job,” Mr Jolly explains. “There are no other jobs like that in New Zealand or the Pacific. Even though it’s a big strong boat, it’s not the ideal boat for us to take to Antarctica for our other work. So my decision to donate her to YWAM is out of a desire to see the boat looked after and do something that I can be proud of.
“I want to see this ship carry on and be used rather than sitting here rusting while it has no work.”
The ship has now been formally handed over to YWAM Ships Aotearoa and will soon go into dry dock for maintenance before being relaunched as a medical aid ship. The exact Pacific Islands we will serve are yet to be determined but Brett Curtis, Chairman of YWAM Ships Aotearoa, says the most difficult to reach and isolated islands, those without airports, are being considered.
“This ship has the capacity to carry containers, supplies, crew and volunteers to assist with everything from education to medical and developmental projects.
“The Pacific islands scattered across this great liquid continent are the most geographically challenging islands on planet Earth. The vast majority have no airstrips and no bridges connecting them so the only way to reach them is via ship.”
Shipping containers can be converted into medical or dental clinics, operating theatres and x-ray units, among other things. “Most of the work we do is in the villages themselves. We anchor close to shore and can then provide primary health care, preventative medicine such as vaccinations, oral health checks and eye examinations to these remote communities.”
Curtis says YWAM believes everyone should have the right to the basic necessities of life including access to food, clothing, shelter, healthcare and education for their children. “Our mission is to bring access for all people, in every location, no matter how isolated or small their island is. This is why we use ships.”
YWAM is a global movement that has operated ships since 1978. Curtis and his wife, Karen, hail from Te Puke and have travelled to 72 countries on Christian humanitarian missions since they first became involved in 1983.
“When you show kindness to someone who didn’t expect it, or you help restore someone’s vision, it changes their life and that makes every day worth the effort,” Curtis says.
Donations are now being sought from the New Zealand business, church and medical communities to help fit out the ship and a nationwide port tour is being planned.
The re-naming of the ship is also an important next step and YWAM is seeking suggestions from the public. They’re also looking for marine, general and medical volunteers to join them. Anyone who is interested in donating or volunteering can get in touch via their website YWAM Ships Aotearoa
“This vessel opens a new season of New Zealanders helping our Pacific Rim neighbours with Ships. It is amazing what can be accomplished when we all work together. When everyone is a volunteer, donations are given, and a host nation opens up ports free of charge, it all comes together creating a remarkable impact on some of the most remote villages you can imagine,” Curtis says.
“Nigel and Brenda Jolly have been most generous with the donation of this vessel. We are all looking forward to seeing this ship deployed from New Zealand, supported by Kiwis who want to make a difference in our own backyard of the Pacific.”
God favours boys! This is the message girls and women receive throughout their lives and sadly, the church most often simply reinforces this.
From conception to birth the common rhetoric is that there is the hope for a boy instead of a girl. Some communities even blame the mother for not producing a girl! Female infanticide continues to be a real problem – why? Because there is still a perception that women are less valuable, and men have greater earning power. One father who had three girls was overjoyed that the fourth child was to be a boy and shared that at last he had someone to carry on the family name and inheritance.
Families exacerbate messaging in subtle ways; whether through allocation of time, funds, inheritance and even affection, or through assigning authority – the son to be “in charge”, for example. The message is clear – girls are less valuable and less capable.
Schools reinforce stereotypical roles through enforced subject selection – girls do cookery and sewing, and boys do woodwork and design. Worse still, in some communities girls are forced to offer sexual favours to get through their schooling!
Churches can further megaphone this messaging overtly with patronising statements such as “men and women have different roles, women are there to care for the home, men are there to provide,” or simply by there being no women in leadership or authority, beyond Sunday School. I know from my own experience – my church leaders told me that women are not allowed to teach and that was how God ordained it to be. Men are to lead, teach and be the head. I remember when a colleague in Kenya announced he was to marry, he shared with me that he now had a greater responsibility as he was tasked with pastoring his wife and ensuring she behaved and followed Jesus! A woman being abused by her husband sought help from the pastor who said she was to submit and ask what had she done to antagonise her husband and force him to act in such away?
Is it true – does God prefer boys? Has he saved up all the gifts of leadership and teaching for just boys? Does he really want women to be seen and treated as less than men, even less than human?
Everything I read about God, his love, his justice, his redeeming and reconciling aims, his creative equality in making both men and women in his image – the way Jesus treated women and the way in Christ we are all equal – tells me that God does not have favourites and gives gifts to both men and women.
But how do we enable all to see and understand this? How does one tackle the deeply held beliefs that people and communities hold that leads to this inequality that permeates all aspects of life? Romans 12:1 says we need to be transformed through the renewal of our mind.
We believe this starts with a commitment to love and desire equality for all. We encourage all our Micah family to take a stand today, and every day, for gender equality and freedom. Let it impact your homes, your community, your workplace and your church. Become advocates and examples for equality in and through all you do and say. The impact of this will be immeasurable.
Promote shared responsibilities for home and family – see Salt Initiatives
Promote equal opportunities in the workplace, in leadership, in ministry and in all aspects of life – see as an example Quality and Human Rights Commission
Reform legal processes that discriminate against women in access to inheritance, ownership, finance, land and resources controls – see example from IJM on Land theft
Promote and reform the use of media so as to ensure equality messaging that supports empowerment of women – see UN paper on equality of women in the media.
